We ate at the following restaurants over the course of our week-long stay in Washington DC during September 2012, which will be detailed below:
- Marcels
- Obelisk
- Rasika
- Zaytina
- Old Ebbitt Grill
- Fogo de Chao
- BRABO Tasting Room
- Tabard Inn
- Busboys and Poets
- Sprinkles Cupcakes
- Baked and Wired
- Fast Gourmet
- Ben's Chili Bowl
- Paul Maison
- Le Pain Quotidien
- Food Section at the Newseum
- Mitsitam Cafe
Marcel's:
Washington DC has a plethora of French restaurants to choose from, many of which are highly rated including Marcel's, Michel Richard Citronelle, Bistrot du Coin, and Brasserie Beck, just to name a few. Since we didn't want to have a repeat of the same cuisine during our trip, I had to pick just one. Out of all of the restaurant's menus I perused, Marcel's intrigued and interested me the most. Additionally, it was the highest rated French restaurant on Yelp at the time of our visit so I figured it would be a good choice.
Marcel's offers their guests an a la carte menu as well as a 4, 5, 6, or 7 course tasting menu. If your reservation occurs prior to 6:30 you'll be able to take advantage of the 4 course tasting menu for a slightly discounted price.
Be aware that Marcel's is a fancy place; a jacket is required for men. It would be the perfect place to go for a very special occasion or simply a wonderful choice for those looking for superb and high quality French food.
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| Marcel's |
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| Marcel's |
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| Marcel's |
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| Marcel's |
Shyawn and I selected the 4 course tasting menu, each picking a different dish from each of the selected courses. Prior to our dishes arriving, however, we were brought out an amuse bouche. Unfortunately, I did not write down the name of the amuse bouche but was it was delicious and refreshing.
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| Amuse bouche at Marcel's. |
We were also served various types of incredibly delicious bread throughout the meal along with a trio of butter spreads.
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| Trio of butter spreads at Marcel's. |
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| Amazing bread at Marcel's. |
For our first course, Shyawn selected the
Filet of Rainbow Trout, Baby Spinach, Yukon Gold Potato Puree, Lemon Caper Butter while I went with the
Pan Seared Diver Scallop, Braised Pork Belly, Sweet Corn and Scallion Beurre Blanc. The potato puree from Shyawn's dish was absolutely incredible; it was one of the highlights of the entire meal for me. My scallops were quite tasty and much to my surprise the sweet corn and scallion beurre blanc complimented the scallops wonderfully.
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| Filet of Rainbow Trout at Marcel's. |
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| Pan Seared Diver Scallops at Marcel's. |
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| Pan Seared Diver Scallops at Marcel's. |
For our next course Shyawn ordered the
Hawaiian "Onaga" Snapper, Spring Onion and Snap Pea Risotto, Ginger Seasame Pea Tendrils while I went with the
Icelandic Cod, Hearts of Palm, Summer Squash, Garlic Potato Puree, Osetra Caviar Beurre Blanc. Both dishes were incredible and by this point of the meal I knew I had made a wise decision by dining at Marcel's.
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| Hawaiian "Onaga" Snapper at Marcel's. |
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| Icelandic Cod at Marcel's. |
For our third course Shyawn's choice was the
Sauteed Veal Sweetbreads, Fricasse of Maiitake, Anaheim Chili, Red Onion while I went the traditional route and went with
Marcel's Classic Boudin Blanc, Celery Root Puree, Pearl Onions, Truffle Maidera Sauce. I had never tried sweetbreads before, and certainly not veal ones, but I was quite surprised with how delicious his dish was. The boudin blanc was good, but probably what I would consider the weakest/least memorable dish of dinner. It wasn't bad, just not outstanding.
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| Sauteed Veal Sweetbreads at Marcel's. |
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| Classic Boudin Blanc at Marcel's. |
And finally, for our fourth course Shyawn selected the
Martin's Ranch Angus Beef Tenderloin, Wild Mushrooms, Potato Puree with Truffle Essence, Red Wine Sauce. I chose the
Braised Beef Short Rib, Baby Carrot, Sunburst Squash, Red Wine Sauce. Shyawn's potato puree was once again, absolutely amazing. My short rib was incredibly moist and delicious, literally falling apart with just a soft prodding from my fork. I felt that the dish could have been even more strong had it been served with a starch to soak up the delicious sauce that accompanied it instead of the vegetables.
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| Martin's Ranch Angus Beef Tenderloin at Marcel's. |
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| Braised Beef Short Rib at Marcel's. |
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| Braised Beef Short Rib at Marcel's. |
Lastly, after our four course were served we were brought out a small assortment of dessert goodies which we were nearly too full to finish. I have no idea how some people go for all seven courses!
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| Assortment of dessert goodies at Marcel's. |
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| Assortment of dessert goodies at Marcel's. |
Overall, we had an absolutely incredible meal at Marcel's. It was definitely the dining highlight of our week long stay in Washington DC and I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone, especially to my fellow French-loving foodies!
Obelisk:
While in Washington DC I wanted to make sure that we ate at least one really great Italian place. There were many places to choose from, but I ultimately ended up choosing Obelisk (located in Dupont Circle) based on its favorable Yelp reviews and also the fact that it was rated one of
Washington DC's 100 very best restaurants by the Washingtonian.
Upon our arrival, we were both quite surprised to see how small and intimate the restaurant was. The restaurant was also dimly lit, making it quite difficult to take quality photographs of the dishes. Additionally, we found it a little odd that it was so quiet inside the space; there wasn't even soft music playing so it felt a bit awkward.
The handwritten menu changes daily and includes four courses for $75. However, in addition to the four courses there were various appetizers that were brought out prior, making the $75 price tag quite a good value. Be forewarned that the restaurant does not have a website and since the menu changes daily, you'll have to go in with an open mind. However, based on our experience and the many reviews we have read, you will leave full and happy!
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| Interior of Obelisk. |
Immediately after sitting down, we were brought a small container of delicious olives to munch on.
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| Olives from Obelisk. |
For drinks, Shyawn ordered an Italian beer called
Morgana and I went with one of their cocktails called
Trentino (vodka, moscato rosa, campari and lime). Shyawn said he enjoyed the beer very much and my cocktail was extremely good.
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| Morgana beer from Obelisk. |
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| Trentino cocktail from Obelisk. |
Next they brought us a bowl of assorted types of bread, all of which were very good.
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| Bread bowl at Obelisk. |
After ordering our selections from the menu, the staff brought us an assortment of appetizers (antipasti) which are included with the tasting menu. My hands-down favorite of the five items was the
buratta with salt, pepper, and olive oil. I had never tried buratta before, which is an Italian cheese whose outer shell is mozzarella while the inside contains a mixture of mozzarella and cream. This cheese was crazy good. I cannot describe in words how incredibly delicious it was. Like it was one of the top ten things I have ever eaten in my life good. I just kept repeating OMG OMG out loud in the restaurant. I made sure to scrape up every last speck of the creamy cheese and olive oil on this plate. Based on the number of times the buratta cheese was mentioned in the Yelp reviews, it seems as though this is one of the restaurants standard appetizers. Do NOT miss this decadent dish!
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| Buratta with salt, pepper and olive oil at Obelisk. |
The second appetizer, tomato gelee was also excellent and paired wonderfully with the buratta cheese. I am not normally a huge fan of tomatoes but this dish was surprisingly delicious.
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| Tomato gelee from Obelisk. |
We were also brought out two small deep fried risotto balls, which were tasty.
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| Risotto balls from Obelisk. |
Unfortunately I don't recall the details of the fourth appetizer. I believe it
might have been duck, but I just can't tell you for certain and unfortunately the appetizers were not listed within the menu. Either way, this dish wasn't a huge standout, but it wasn't bad either.
Our final appetizer was some sort of tuna with greens that were placed over a bed of delicious olive oil. This dish was also strong but by this point I was quite worried as we had already been brought five dishes and hadn't even started on our main menu dishes yet and I was beginning to feel full!
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| Tuna with greens and olive oil at Obelisk. |
For our first main course (primi) Shyawn selected the
Salt Cod Ravioli with Clams and I chose the
Gnocchi with Pesto. Both dishes were very delicious.
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| Salt Cod Ravioli with Clams at Obelisk. |
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| Gnocchi with Pesto at Obelisk. |
For our second (secondi) course, Shyawn chose the
Braised Duck Leg with Spinach and Farro while I went with the
Pork Chop with Filet Green Beans, Pine Nuts, and Guanciale. My pork chop was incredibly moist with great flavor but the portion size was huge. I couldn't even eat half of it.
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| Braised Duck Leg with Spinach and Farro at Obelisk. |
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| Pork Chop with Filet Beans, Pine Nuts, and Guanciale at Obelisk. |
We were also brought out a
cheese plate (Sorrano, Raschera, and Rocchetta with a Roasted Fig). Unfortunately, I wasn't able to eat much of the delicious as I was quite full by this point.
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| Cheese plate from Obelisk. |
For dessert, we chose the
Cantaloupe Tart with Buttermilk Ice Cream and the
Hazelnut Cake with Caramel Whipped Cream and Peach. Of the two dishes, we preferred the Cantaloupe Tart, as the Hazelnut Cake was a bit dry and quite sweet, especially when paired with the Caramel Whipped Cream and Peach.
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| Cantaloupe Tart with Buttermilk Ice Cream at Obelisk. |
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| Hazelnut Cake with Caramel Whipped Cream and Peach. |
And finally, we were brought an assortment of small sweets which we took just tiny nibbles of even though there were all very good.
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| Assortment of Small Sweets at Obelisk. |
Overall, we were very pleased with our experience at Obelisk. I would return again in a heartbeat just for the buratta cheese alone: yes, it was THAT good. Next time I will remember to enter Obelisk with a completely empty stomach so that I can ensure I have enough room for the many dishes that will be served.
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